Yesterday, I eschewed the free comedy in Hammersmith for the Ghosts & Executions Tour, with London for a Tenner or Less (now defunct) - even though that guide wasn't great the last time, so I cancelled this previously, he's better than that free comedy! Funzing again, of course. Oh, and the code WELLBEING30 got me 30% off this. How it qualifies as "well-being" I don't know, but I'm not complaining! ..but last Sunday week, one of the Man with the Hat's old group got in touch, and a half-dozen of us arranged to get together in the Swan - we'd hate to lose touch. Not including said Man with the Hat, mind you - sadly, he's apparently cut off all contact - with Meetup, at least. Well, if and when he comes back, he'll still be welcome.
A late meeting meant I couldn't make the pub as early as intended - and I was regretting my decision to walk from the office, it was so hot! Beautiful though, people out sunning themselves. Massive queues at the National, as I passed - I guess, although they didn't implement it with me, that email they sent about bag checks, and leaving extra time, wasn't lying.. around the corner, a more peaceful scene with deckchairs: and all the way along Bankside, shorts, t-shirts and tourists were in evidence, along with much fussed-over doggies. Passing an enthusiastic bunch of what sounded like Aussies, headed to a show at the Globe, I made my way in to the Swan, and saw some familiar faces on the left.
And so we occupied a sofa at the edge - narrowly avoiding being moved, for reasons of space. At least, in this side section, there was something of a breeze from the open windows - had we had to move to the main room, it'd have been stifling! Most of us ordered food; can't say I recommend the shepherd's pie, which was quite bland. Service was considerate, but as slow as ever.
One of the group - not a Man with the Hat disciple, but culled from Cultureseekers - left after a bit, saying she was an outdoor girl and needed to be outside on an evening like this. And after the first round, and the food, we decamped as well. Mary's idea of sitting on the beach outside the Founder's Arms was rather scuppered by the fact that the tide was in - but lo, we scored a table on the outside deck anyway! and had a lovely evening, shooting the breeze and gazing at the sun going down over London:
Although he wasn't mentioned much, the Man with the Hat was on everybody's mind. And you heard it here first: on a balmy summer's evening, a new Meetup group was born! Yes, in a very good piece of news, a name was chosen last night; keep an eye out for upcoming events with More of London for Less..! I know I will.
This evening, I'm off down to Helen for the weekend - she told me about this Living History Festival, and I said yes please! We'll see what the weather's doing as to when we'll actually go.
Monday, I'm back to Soho Theatre with the Crick Crack Club, for something called The Frog Princess - Punked. Ben Haggerty, the mc and co-founder of the club, told us the other night that there's going to be a full punk band - goodness, who would've thought that Sally Pomme Clayton had a hidden punk side! And the theatre was kind enough to both ring and email me, just to make sure I got the news that it's been moved to the basement. Goodee, fewer steps! Oh, and we have a new company CEO, who's visiting the London office on Monday: so, drinks beforehand, at Barrio Soho. Five minutes' walk from the theatre; I should be fine.
On Tuesday, I'm with the London European Club, to see the Images Ballet Company at the Arts Depot.
And Wednesday, at the moment, looks like a film. But I can tell you this: despite its high rating, and one of our group being an extra in it, I don't think it'll be Wonder Woman. Watch this space..!
And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain..
Oh wow, the final Man with the Hat event finally, inevitably, rolled around. Family commitments beckon, and he's closing down the groups as of tomorrow. Doesn't know when, or whether, he'll be back.. a sad, sad day indeed.
Let me pop up that screenshot again of my Meetup activity, with the groups with which I've been most active:
Yup, there go the two groups at the top of my list. :'-(
I had a late meeting, but it did finish a bit early, and I decided to walk, in the end - it's not much quicker to take public transport to the Globe. Mercifully, it had warmed up quite a bit - the cold weather having done its damage to me! And what a lovely surprise - a group member who hadn't got a ticket had dropped by anyway, just to say goodbye! Chats with the Man with the Hat pre-event had to be taken in snatches - he was fielding phone calls from people who were lost, dealing with sporadic people coming up to him to collect their tickets. He did have 46 coming, after all..
It's impossible to be sad around this man. There's more than one reason that he has such a loyal following - he has a sunny personality that smashes through the gloom. Anyway, I hung out there until it was nearly time to go, shepherding a member of London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) who was finding herself at the Globe for the first time, and was uncertain where to go. And for my part, I was comfortably snuggled at the back, which suited - I didn't want a breeze making my still-sniffly cold any worse. Having said that, it had warmed up so much that I actually took my coat off for most of the first act!
Now, this production of Romeo and Juliet has attracted mixed reviews. The Man with the Hat did mention, mind you, that it was supposed to be very popular with the kids - sure enough, the place was packed with school groups. To give credit to the girls' school filling my section, they were extremely well-behaved - and I think they performed the best rendition in YMCA of anyone in the theatre!
Yes, you're right - I don't remember YMCA popping up in the original version either. That's the Globe for you. Neither do I remember the actors being in clown face paint.. and wow, the fight sequences are something else, with strobe lighting, streamers that shot out and wrapped themselves fetchingly around a support wire, MTV-style music.. I'm actually not trendy enough to have the vocabulary to describe the opening scene of this production, which is kind of mind-blowing..
Happily, it calms down a bit after that. And I've gotta say, it's a brilliant idea - we don't know what age Romeo is supposed to be, but Juliet is only 13 in the play, and I'd guess him a little older. So, teenagers then. And what appeals to modern teenagers..? Exactly. They play their parts perfectly, a bit of teen gawkiness adding to the charm, and the MTV-style posturing fits perfectly with the brashness that we often see with teenagers. They keep the original text, just the odd interjection added - and oh, the music! The music is absolutely perfect, going from slightly insane at the party at the start of the play, to a sudden shift to a much softer tune as they see each other and fall in love. Complete change of mood - perfectly chosen, as ever!
I loved it. Purists will hate it - well, don't come to the Globe then. But for everyone else, I really recommend this. Runs on selected dates until 9 July, better availability the earlier you book - many dates are sold out already. And as for their warning on the site, about guns - don't worry; although there are guns, they're not fired. The characters just say "Bang!". And, further to that review I read, the dinosaur is quite sensibly woven into the production - and I saw no sign of the submarine they mentioned! Unless they were referring to the torpedo that's been suspended over the stage for weeks now.
Afterwards, we met with the Man - who'd already hung up his Hat! He'd checked, and there was space in the Swan, so in we went - in fact, it was quite deserted, and we took over the alcove at the end. Didn't stop it taking forever for me to be served, though, as usual.. and hey, another of our members, who lives nearby, had dropped by for drinks! Awesome.. and a really great night was had, a fitting end to the group - with the Man with the Hat staying to the bitter end, as he used to. Farewells had the potential to be teary, but we survived. Hey, who knows we shall meet again as a group.. but I look forward to that day.
By now, it was after midnight - I had great fun trying to find somewhere quiet to ring my mother and pretend I was at home! Blasted busker, under that bridge.. and as I paced up and down in the rain, this would be the night that my mother decided to have a nice, long chat. Afterwards, across the same bridge - and with a choice of two buses, it wasn't long before one came and I could get home at last. (Wise of me to bring my Oyster card - I'd have walked if it had been early enough, but at this time I just wanted to get to bed.)
Tonight, it's back to Ireland for the weekend. On Monday and Tuesday, I'm off to Pint of Science - following a theme, given my background, I'm headed to a talk on Small Is Beautiful (quantum physics) on Monday and one on Across the Universe (cosmology) on Tuesday. Both now sold out. Rock on..
On Wednesday, London Literary Walks is off to Highbury. And so am I.
On Thursday, I'm booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon & Greenwich, Random London, and London Live Comedy. Something, frankly, that I usually cancel, but you never know - nothing better has yet come up for this night!
Next Friday, I saw that London Social Detours (a side-shoot of Ken's Events) were charging £3 to go to the free jazz concert at the Royal Academy. So I was going to go on my own. Free. But then the London European Club (LEC) advertised a Norwegian Dixieland concert at Jamboree.. well, that sounded like more fun, so now I'm going to that instead.
On the 20th, I'm doing something local - a guided walk on Residents, Rascals & Riots, in Holborn. With London for a Tenner or Less.
The 21st, LDAM is headed out of town. We're going all the way to Northampton, to see a couple of Shakespearian plays, one directed by one of her members. Richard II, to be precise, with Titus Andronicus to whet our appetites. No-one has signed up apart from me, but what the hey I've never been there, so it'll be interesting.
On the 22nd, I'm off to Ugly Lies the Bone, at the Lyttleton.
On the 23rd, I'd booked with Funzing UK for an Infinitease Burlesque Show. In Leytonstone, so if anything better came up in the meantime, I was up for it! That's a terribly long way out. Anyway, the other day I got an email about cheap tickets - apparently there's a burlesque festival on - in Hackney, which is a bit closer. And a lot cheaper. So now I'm going to that instead - Funzing can be cancelled up to 48 hours in advance without penalty.
The 24th was supposed to be the Man with the Hat's last event, but he had to cancel. Instead, I discovered that the UL Alumni Association (UL is my alma mater) is holding a talk on Brexit that night. And I was going to go to that - but lo, Funzing came up with something better! So now I'm going to Urban Legends of London.
The 25th, Crick Crack is back - at Crouch End Arthouse again, unfortunately. It's just so far! Still going, of course - the more especially because it's Michael Harvey! He's worth the trip. Then I'm back to Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend again - and taking the bank holiday, this time!
On the 30h, LDAM are at the Olivier to see Common. So am I.. on a cheap Travelex ticket, which I booked direct with the venue. So I'll be avoiding them, since they don't appreciate that.
On the 31st, free comedy in Hammersmith was up again (temporarily), with the above groups, plus London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers (another offshoot of Ken's Events). But yay, it's now been replaced by another Funzing event - a Luxury Chocolate evening! Helen's popping along, too. The code Fun_Day10 got us a 10% discount.
On 1 June, I eschewed the free comedy in Hammersmith for the Ghosts & Executions Tour, with London for a Tenner or Less - even though that guide wasn't great the last time, so I cancelled this previously, he's better than that free comedy! Oh, and I forgot to mention, the code WELLBEING30 got me 30% off this. How it qualifies as "well-being" I don't know, but I'm not complaining!
Then I'm off down to Helen for the weekend - she told me about this Living History Festival, and I said yes please!
The 5th, I'm back to Soho Theatre with the Crick Crack Club, for something called The Frog Princess - Punked. Ben Haggerty, the mc and co-founder of the club, told us the other night that there's going to be a full punk band - goodness, who would've thought that Sally Pomme Clayton had a hidden punk side!
And the 6th June, I'm with the LEC, to see the Images Ballet Company at the Arts Depot.
The Globe last night, for Nell Gwynn. Booked ages ago, because there was nothing on Meetup, I love the venue, and the play sounded perfect for it. Good reviews too, saying it was great fun! Then, would you believe it, London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) popped up, headed to the same thing on the same night. Fair enough, and I RSVPed that I'd go with them - we were to buy our own tickets anyway.
Now, I'm lucky enough to get fed in our office. However, with this having been a short week, they only had one food delivery - and by yesterday, pickings were slim. So I ended up getting a takeaway from Caffe Milan, just downstairs. Cheap and delicious - highly recommended! I tend to go for the carbonara - but without the cheese, which I find overpowering.
They were meeting at 6 - of course, I was a bit late; to be fair, I was walking, and it's a little bit of a trek. Anyway, I'd wrapped up - the last time I was at the Globe, it was freezing, and given the recent drop in temperatures, I wasn't optimistic. They were to meet at The Swan, but when I arrived there (at about 6:30), it was packed! I can see why the Man with the Hat doesn't come here on weekends. Not seeing them, I tried the Meetup app - as usual, it wasn't loading (dreadful app, and I try to avoid using it when I can). Texted the organiser, who said they'd decamped to The Real Greek. (Sensibly, but you'd think she might have mentioned that beforehand.) And when I made my way down there (just a bit further, along the river), I had to text again to find out where, exactly.
So, they were in the conservatory. They had a table for five, but apparently one was running late anyway, and there was plenty of space for me. Roasting hot there, I have to say, under the heating lamps that line the edge of the roof - but that was very welcome, after the gusty walk I'd had across the bridge! They hadn't even gotten around to ordering food yet - honestly, I was still stuffed after lunch, and just ordered a glass of wine. They ordered meze, which came cutely presented on small plates on a little cake plate stand - the perfect presentation, really.
Now, different groups tend to attract different sorts. And this group attracts a lot of people who don't seem able to participate in a conversation without dominating it. I swear - it's simply ages since I've felt SO locked-out of a conversation. It was ridiculous. The organiser isn't so bad, but she was busy eating - the other two were not only discussing a whole list of plays I hadn't seen yet, most of which I hadn't even heard of (I have a wider range of interests), but at such a pace that it was impossible to get a word in edgeways, even when they got onto the subject of books, and I might have had a contribution to make. I spent most of the meal staring out the window, and was glad when we left for the theatre.
We were all sat apart, of course - I'd picked one of the cheapest seats available, right around by the edge: but I'm used to it, from the Man with the Hat's events..
Sumptuous set design - but the curtains flapped about in the breeze, which just caught me, where I was sat. Dear God, it was cold - appreciably colder than the last time I was here (mind you, I'd been in the back row last time, and this time was in the front, and exposed). I was glad to have gloves - and even two pairs of woolly tights couldn't keep my legs warm. I was to regret not renting one of the venue's bright red blankets!
But hey, I survived. And a jollier, cheekier, play I couldn't have imagined (nor a more suitable one for the venue). Pity poor Nell though, who for most of the production had her shoulders bared, in the freezing cold - and there were plenty of others with at least bare forearms, all of whom I sympathised with: but you know, not a sign of discomfort did they give.
This is a jolly romp through the life of Nell, probably the lowest-class of Charles II's mistresses. And the characters suit the description - Nell (Laura Pitt-Pulford) is a delight: the perfect "pretty, witty whore", as described by Pepys. With a lovely singing voice. Ben Righton is a good foil as Charles II - but the one the LDAM organiser had come to see, the reason that she broke her resolve of not coming here, was Sam Marks, who gave a sterling rendition of Charles Harte, the actor who persuaded Nell onto the stage in the fist place, which was how she caught the king's eye.
It's funny, it's bawdy, and it fits the venue, as I say. It really paints a sympathetic portrait of Nell, the street girl made good, and you leave humming the catchy tunes. And I absolutely loved it! Runs until Saturday - highly recommended.
I didn't bother finding people at the interval, considering my experience beforehand. Afterwards, I actually spotted the organiser on my way out, and followed her to The Swan. (Glorious to be inside, in the heat!) We were to be the only two, mind you - one of the others bailed, and I don't believe she ever heard from the other two after the show. Fair play to her, she ordered nibbles - none of which I fancied, and bread had to be ordered separately, as she discovered. I had a couple of slices of that. And we discussed how the Man with the Hat is taking a break.. I could see her calculating how I could glean her some members from his groups, but I can foresee two immediate problems with that: firstly, I don't think they'd get on with some of her members (they're a friendlier bunch, and wouldn't put up with this nonsense). And secondly, they don't favour the posh venues that she does.
A long walk home, via the office. I might have blogged last night, in the office - but it was getting very late.. and I knew this would be a long one.. and I needed to get my feet out of those boots, which were quite tight. Anyway! tonight, I'm joining the London European Club (LEC) for a classical concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Oh joy, they're playing Beethoven's 9th. Some confusion over where we're to meet, but never mind. LDAM has a double-bill today, in the Arcola, but it wasn't convenient, and I wasn't that pushed anyway. Especially after yesterday - this is a group that often leaves me with a bad feeling.
I hadn't anything formally booked for tomorrow - but Ken's (uniformly bad) Events are tramping along the Thames Path. Now, it's funny, but someone was recently pointing out how "some groups" book walks - in parks - and charge for the privilege. "There's money in them thar hills", as he said. So yes, I was planning to do this walk - on my own - for free: but then ShowFilmFirst rescued me by offering £1 tickets to see John Hastings. In the Phoenix Artist Club, for goodness' sake, which is right behind my office! (Pity it isn't a workday, that'd be handy.) So I booked that, because I've seen him, and he's good.
On Monday, Crick Crack storytelling is back! Gee, it feels like an age. Anyway, I'm off to see a show called Uncaged, in Soho Theatre. Whoop-de-do, I can walk there again!
On Tuesday, I'm taking myself to Half a Sixpence, just a short walk from the office again. Best value I found was with Amazon Tickets.
On Wednesday, back with London Literary Walks of course - and I'm looking forward to this one more than most - it's The Chaucer Walk, and I do love things medieval!
Thursday is a red-letter day, with the last scheduled Meetup of the Man with the Hat. Both groups (London for Less Than a Tenner standing, and Let's Do London- for less! in seats, as usual) are headed to the Globe for Romeo and Juliet. It'll be poignant.. but the production itself will be controversial, from what I hear, being - shall we say, avant-garde. As usual, I'll reserve judgement till I see for myself. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 15th & 16th, I'm off to Pint of Science - following a theme, given my background, I'm headed to a talk on Small Is Beautiful (quantum physics) on Monday and one on Across the Universe (cosmology, and now sold out) on Tuesday. Rock on..
On the 17th, London Literary Walks is off to Highbury. And so am I.
On the 18th, I'm booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon & Greenwich, Random London, and London Live Comedy. Something, frankly, that I usually cancel, but you never know - nothing better has yet come up for this night!
On the 19th, I saw that London Social Detours (a side-shoot of Ken's Events) were charging £3 to go to the free jazz concert at the Royal Academy. So I was going to go on my own. Free. But then the LEC advertised a Norwegian Dixieland concert at Jamboree.. well, that sounded like more fun, so now I'm going to that instead.
On the 20th, I'm doing something local - a guided walk on Residents, Rascals & Riots, in Holborn. With London for a Tenner or Less.
The 21st, LDAM is headed out of town. We're going all the way to Northampton, to see a couple of Shakespearian plays, one directed by one of her members. Richard II, to be precise, with Titus Andronicus to whet our appetites. No-one has signed up apart from me, but what the hey I've never been there, so it'll be interesting.
On the 22nd, I'm off to Ugly Lies the Bone, at the Lyttleton.
On the 23rd, Funzing UK is taking me to an Infinitease Burlesque Show. Probably up in Leytonstone, so if anything better comes up in the meantime, I'm up for it!
The 24th was supposed to be the Man with the Hat's last event, but he had to cancel. Instead, I discovered that the UL Alumni Association (UL is my alma mater) is holding a talk on Brexit that night - so that'll be nice.
The 25th, Crick Crack is back - at Crouch End Arthouse again, unfortunately. It's just so far! Still going, of course. Then I'm back to Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend again - and taking the bank holiday, this time!
On the 30h, LDAM are at the Olivier to see Common. So am I.. on a cheap Travelex ticket, which I booked direct with the venue.
On the 31st, free comedy in Hammersmith is up again (temporarily, at least), with the above groups, plus London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers (another offshoot of Ken's Events).
On 1 June, I eschewed the free comedy in Hammersmith for the Ghosts & Executions Tour, with London for a Tenner or Less - even though that guide wasn't great the last time, so I cancelled this previously, he's better than that free comedy!
Then I'm off down to Helen for the weekend - she told me about this Living History Festival, and I said yes please!
The 5th, I'm back to Soho Theatre with the Crick Crack Club, for something called The Frog Priuncess - Punked. Cool..
And the 6th June, I'm with the LEC, to see the Images Ballet Company at the Arts Depot.
I considered yesterday a summery treat - the Man with the Hat took both London for Less Than a Tenner and Let's Do London - for less! to the Globe (ah, it's been too long..). For one night only, the Comedy Store Players regaled us with their unique brand of improv. As usual, London for Less than a Tenner standing in the yard, Let's Do London - for less! in lower gallery seats. Which is where I go - couldn't take standing for that long.
Now, I always associate the Globe with summer - but to describe yesterday as "summery" might have been a step too far. The day was gloomy, the afternoon rainy, and in general it was freezing. Anyway, I decided to walk - it'd just take a little longer than the bus, I'd get some exercise, and I could get cash on the way. My evening took a severe downturn when I got cash, though - after being paid on Friday, my available balance was just £30! So I took out £20 - and it was right at that moment that a nearby homeless man decided to accost me. Expecting to get the £20, doubtless, when it was literally all I had of disposable income - he wasn't at all impressed with the spare change I offered him, and when he started to insult me, I turned on my heel and kept my change to myself. It wasn't a fun walk down, though, imagining having been ripped off again (as happened in December), and to top it all off, it rained quite heavily upon me.
Hey-ho, I joined a few other early birds at the arranged meeting point - we beat the Man with the Hat to it, by a few minutes. Got our tickets, made our way into the piazza outside the Globe building - the building wasn't open just yet - and hung around chatting. For all that I'd specifically got out cash so as to be able to buy stuff from the wandering vendors, I didn't feel like it, now that I was once again impoverished.. Well, I wasn't hungry or thirsty anyway.
When the doors opened, we made our way in.
I had a comfy, back row seat, where I could lean against the wall. And get a good vantage point of everyone else! And as the rows in front of me filled - if there were spare seats, I didn't see any - I had a windbreak, too; damn, it was cold!
(Massive crack in that pillar - I can see why they have bands around it, to hold it together.)
A line of chairs on stage awaited the arrival of the Comedy Store performers - and my, this evening was worth coming out for! Various games required them to improvise on the spot, and I haven't seen better. Rapid-fire, really funny - highlights included an operation where they had to switch from horror style, to musical, to Bollywood.. They started with a game where one was sent outside, while the audience came up with outlandish suggestions he had to guess when he came back, and - given the venue - they finished off with a Shakespearian-inspired play ("Julius Caesar Salad"). Honestly though, the highlight of the night for me had to be the Tale of the Haunted Carrot, in the style of a musical. And kudos to whoever helpfully threw a couple of carrots on-stage as props for that one!
Fabulous stuff, and the Comedy Store deserves its reputation. Great, too, to be back at the Globe - even if we nearly froze in our places. One night it might have been more comfortable to be standing - I wished I'd rented a blanket. At least I had gloves. Afterwards, we repaired to The Swan, as usual - shuffling all the way back to the meeting point in the freezing cold, just to be directed back in again. Could just have gone straight in - it's just across the piazza from the Globe! Never mind, it was great to be indoors.
Toilet first - I needed to go, and figured this would give the bar time to calm down - service tends to be busy, here. Struggled with a weak flush - apologies to whoever next used that cubicle - and, sure enough, by the time I came out the bar was manageable. Ordered a large wine - they have three prices on the menu, for a medium glass, carafe, and bottle, but rest assured, large is also available. And sat, and we had a convivial chat. For once, I thought to bring my sponsorship form with me - for that sponsored walk that Helen and I are doing in September, for Cats Protection. And lo, I got a good few new sponsors! Many thanks, all.
And all that walking I did yesterday will help with that. Walked back to the office afterwards, to check my account..
And wouldn't you know it, it was all a storm in a teacup. It was past midnight by the time I logged in to my account, and my monthly salary had just been paid in. Phew! Blasted banks, and their unnecessary delays.
Tonight, London European Club (LEC) - it'll have been a while! They're off to an informal evening of classical music, in Peckham.
Tomorrow, London Literary Walks is doing the Sloane Ranger. Rain forecast, and the organiser has offered to redo the walk next month - but consensus among those of us there last night was that we'd risk tomorrow.
On Thursday, Helen and I are on an Underground treasure hunt, courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts. TFL goodies to be won, it seems.. Handily, I have no meetings scheduled for that day, so we have time to eat beforehand. Then back to Ireland for the bank holiday weekend - which I'd forgotten was a bank holiday, or I'd have stayed over an extra day!
Instead, for Monday, I've booked The Ferryman, with London Dramatic Arts (LDAM), at the Royal Court.
Next Tuesday, London Speaks Sessions, LDN Talks @ Night, and London for a Tenner or Less have advertised a talk called Origin of Vampires: Fact or Fiction? One I'm unlikely to cancel.
On 3 May, London Literary Walks is off around Gloucester Road.
On 4 May, Let's Do London - for less! is off on its last scheduled trip to the opera house - the occasion is Mayerling, my favourite ballet, and is sold out by now, I see. We have tickets in both slips and amphitheatre, as usual. The clock is counting down on remaining Meetups for this most excellent group - we're already feeling the pinch of its events being scheduled less frequently.
On 5 May, I'd bought a ticket to Nell Gwynn, at the Globe - then it turned out that LDAM is going on the same night! (Buy Your Own Ticket.) As the organiser said, it must be fate.. it'll certainly be nice to have company. Odd venue for them, though - I know the organiser doesn't like it.
And on 6 May, I'm joining the LEC for a classical concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Oh joy, they're playing Beethoven's 9th..
Man with the Hat goes to the Globe - my favourite groups at my favourite venue. Of course I booked! Seated, with Let's Do London - for less, for me, of course - I just don't have the stamina to stand, with London for Less Than a Tenner, although I know the atmosphere is better in the yard, close to the stage. But the atmosphere is terrific throughout.
Although I had the misfortune to have to be in Guildford, I left in good time, the Traffic Gods were with me, and I was in plenty of time to catch the bus. Mind you, actually catching it was a near thing - it's developed a habit of arriving at the stop at the same time I do, and yesterday I had to wait to cross the road, with it already taking on passengers! Mercifully, by the time I got there, the driver hadn't yet been able to pull away, with the traffic, and let me on.
And so in good time to the Globe, where the Man with the Hat was standing in his usual place, near the main entrance with the glass doors, in a freezing breeze. He's good about letting people know where to find him - I did remark, however, that he was hidden in the shadows (it was dark by now); my suggestion of flashing lights as an accessory didn't go down too well, though.
I went straight to my entrance - hey, they didn't have to direct me, I've been here often enough to know where Door 4 is! Wandered over that way, saw the queue for the yard and asked the person guarding the door whether they were letting in the seated people yet. Eh, nope, I'd have to join the queue - ah well, found Mary et al there, ready to do the standing thing, and we passed the time convivially until they finally let us in. And I didn't need directing to my seat either..
I was in the back row, as it happened - which handily means I had the wall for support. And we were quite snug - squashed in behind a large school group. I have to say, it's a terrific resource for schoolkids - so evocative. And our bunch of kids were very well behaved, I thought, for a large bunch of kids their age - I hear there was another school group in the yard that was so rowdy they had to be spoken to a couple of times.
The play in question was the ever-popular Merchant of Venice. And, as ever in the Globe, they started with music - appropriately for the play, in the style of the Venice carnival, actors cavorting wildly in Venetian masks. Apart from that, this, I have to say, was the most traditional production I think I've ever seen here. They played it pretty straight, delivering the lines as written - but not forgetting the odd bit of audience interaction, most pointedly with Gobbo, Shylock's servant. There were also captions, handy for that odd bit you couldn't hear - not so handy when they unfurled the long, billowing, gold curtains, which looked so well at the back of the stage, but did obscure the surtitles..
The schoolkids in front of us were managed effectively, swapping seats for the second half so that everyone could have a better view for part of the play. Now, this is a popular play in schools - despite some complicated text, it has simple themes:
- of the Jew, Shylock, whom Antonio asks for a loan on foot of the ships he expects to come in, laden with goods - only to have them founder, and Shylock demand his pound of flesh
- of Portia's love for Bassanio, whom she cannot choose freely, but rather have her choice of suitor determined by which of three caskets they choose
- of Lorenzo's love for Jessica, Shylock's daughter
And amid the familiar themes and sweeping gowns, one thing really shone out - the performance of Jonathan Pryce as Shylock. Although the Man with the Hat had advertised his appearance as a highlight of the production, the name didn't ring a bell with me - apparently he's in Game of Thrones and the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but I don't watch those, and although he was in Tomorrow Never Dies, and played Wolsey in Wolf Hall, which I have seen, he escaped my attention. But last night, he gave us a real masterclass in acting - I don't know the technicalities of it, but you can just see the difference in talent with some people - he was the most watchable person there.
A really clever move in the production was the promotion of Jessica, who provides a foil to Shylock. Although she takes the opposite path to him, she gives us a real reason to sympathise with him. After all, she betrays him completely, robbing him, abandoning him, changing her religion. But you know, she patently never feels good about it. In subtle ways, throughout the play, she is continually snubbed by the community she's trying to become a part of, and at the end, when Shylock is completely humiliated, his wealth dispersed, her gone, and him forced to convert as well, you can see the tragedy of it through the angst in her face, and when, right at the end, she falls to her knees and wails a lament in Hebrew. An ingenious way to get sympathy for a character that could be seen as unsympathetic, given the bargain he strikes in the first place. Fantastic production - a short run until tomorrow week, tickets only apparently available for today and the last day of the show. Do try and see it if you can, though..
Afterwards, I was glad to get out of the vicious wind and upstairs to the Swan. Typically slow service - they're bad at serving more than one person at once, and it's always packed after a show. We had better seating this time - not on the toadstools at the bar, as usual, but on comfier seats in a separate area at the end. And the chat was great - too great, and I stayed far too late! but never mind. Skirted the posh folks on the way out, and didn't have too long to wait for a bus. Another great night with these groups, and at this venue. Probably the last of the year here, but roll on next summer.
Back to Ireland this evening for the weekend.. then comes next week. Monday, I'm back with Let's Do London - for less! again, at yet another of my favourite venues (this is becoming a habit!). We're going to Southwark Playhouse, to see a production of Confessional by Tennessee Williams. Methinks we'll be sat in the middle of the production - TBC.
On Tuesday, Henning from the London European Club is hosting another of those early-evening talks, this time on Astronomy: Brave New Worlds - the Planets Around Other Stars, at the Royal Astronomical Society. So I booked. Somehow, however, I completely missed the fact that London Dramatic Arts is headed to The Mountaintop that night, at The Young Vic. So now I've booked that instead - they only had two spots left!On Wednesday, Henning is at it again! There's a book launch for Understanding Eritrea: Inside Africa's Most Repressive State, at Housman's bookshop. Entry is £3 apparently, redeemable against a purchase in the bookshop. I'll see whether I can actually make it, Guildford permitting. Or maybe I'll go to a film.. film list permitting.On Thursday, the Man With the Hat is taking both his groups to a concert at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. London Concertante are playing Mozart, Bach, and Albinoni. Good stuff, it seems like an age since we've been there!On Friday, he's taking Let's Do London - for less! to the Royal Opera House - first outing of the season is to Cosi Fan Tutte. Choice of amphitheatre or slips - I, being cheap, am in the slips. Natch.Finally, that Saturday is as yet undecided - but it wasn't! See, LDAM were off to The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures. As was I - independently. Now, this is showing at Hampstead Theatre - where I previously had to sneak out the back door to avoid them, under similar circumstances! Well, I won't be doing it on this occasion - but wouldn't you know it, they've booked for another performance next month. And again, I got a cheaper ticket - and so the dramatic sneaking around is scheduled again..
There's a new artistic director in the Globe this year, it seems. Well, it's one of my favourite venues, so it doesn't take much to persuade me there, and I've been a few times this year. And it was last month that I went to see Macbeth (click here to read that review).
That was with the Man with the Hat, who's developed a habit (long may it continue) of booking two outings to all his Globe shows this year. It says much for what I thought of the production that when I got home that night, before writing the blog post, I booked for his second outing to Macbeth. And today, it finally rolled around - and I wasn't at all perturbed that I was missing the annual company barbeque to go see this for the second time. No contest.
I took the bus, as usual - and true to form, it arrived just as I did. Mind you, I had to dart through some traffic to catch it before it pulled away. Pretty hot, on this rather sweltering day, but at least I managed to get a seat downstairs. Still, it was a relief to hop off at Southwark Bridge, where there was a light breeze - more so than in Clapham Junction, for sure.
He'd been at the meeting point (carefully described, with a photo, on the Meetup page) for a while, and only a small crowd surrounded him when I arrived. Got my ticket (seating for me, with Let's Do London - for less!, rather than standing with London for Less Than a Tenner - I didn't envy them either, in this heat). Made my way in - annoyingly, I was out of cash again, and didn't fancy the palaver of reaching a minimum amount so I could pay by card. But I wasn't in desperate need of anything.
I couldn't wait for the show to start. I hadn't re-read my blog post since, and just remembered certain elements of the production - but mainly the amazing soundtrack. The same composer, Jocelyn Pook, wrote the original music for the film Eyes Wide Shut - and in lieu of a cd or dvd of this production (or sneakily recording it yourself), the closest you can get to the music is to check that out on YouTube. Here, for instance.
Sometimes, in seeing a show more than once, you worry that it won't be as fresh on a repeat viewing. No such problems here. In fact, straight away I noticed one difference - I believe the witches were more prominent on my second trip than they had been on my first. Guess they proved popular, and rightly so. The music was still as chilling as before. Lady Macbeth (Tara Fitzgerald) and Macduff still impressed. And I'd forgotten how spectacular the visual effects are, particularly in the first scene after the interval.
But what was really, noticeably different for me between the two productions was the performance given by Ray Fearon as Macbeth. The first time I saw him, I thought his transition from loyal subject to murderer was too abrupt - by the time I saw him again, it had evened out, I think, and I thought he played the part terrifically. His rendition of the famous "Tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy was breathtaking.
Not to everyone's taste - quite a few people near me didn't seem too impressed, as they didn't return after the interval. Well, it did give the rest of us some breathing space - the place was packed, and on this stuffy evening, every breeze that we caught was very welcome. I, of course, absolutely loved it. Still playing on specified days up to the 1st October. Highly recommended.
Afterwards, we travelled the short distance to The Swan, where, for once, we got seating outside, on the terrace. And what a fantastic evening for it, so warm, and with the view across the river. A very good time was had until we eventually got chucked out, just before midnight.
'Bye for now, Man with Hat - 'bye, Globe, 'bye, London - I'm back to Ireland tomorrow for the bank holiday weekend. Back in action in London on Tuesday. Guess what with? Yup, the various groups are advertising free comedy in Hammersmith again! So let's see, I'm signed up with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon & Farringdon: London Live Comedy: and London for a Tenner or Less. The latter is, of course, not to be confused with the previously mentioned Man with the Hat's group - no, this latter group is the one that deletes its Meetup listing once the event is underway. Very cloak and dagger. Anyway, these comedy nights are free, and tend to have a good atmosphere.
On Wednesday, I'm on another London Literary Walk - in Bloomsbury, this time. These are very entertaining (and free), and I'd go on more if they didn't clash with so many other things.
And on Thursday, we're going underground with the Man with the Hat - to the Vaults, for a Pop-Up Opera production of The Barber of Seville. Great, it's been a while..
The Man with the Hat has been doing something a bit different this year (apart from varying his hats). He's been organising two outings to each of his shows in the Globe. Well, I was to be glad of it for the Taming of the Shrew, since I couldn't make the first of his trips to that.. his second outing was last night, and I was delighted to book it.
I couldn't avoid going to Guildford, but although I always worry about making it back in time to get to the Globe, I haven't had an issue yet, always making it in time to catch the bus. And I seem to be leading a charmed existence in that respect - yesterday was the second time in a row that it arrived just when I did. And thus did I arrive at the Globe in plenty of time to collect my ticket, bringing the rain as I came. (Sorry..)
Got a front-row ticket for once, which was nice!
No, I wasn't out there - that would be the London for Less than a Tenner group. I had a seat, with Let's do London - for less! Great to be so close to the stage.. without having to stand.. the more so when that rain came back, with a vengeance. Just as well the Globe offers rain smocks (you can't use an umbrella as a groundling, not during the performance, anyway):
Someone remarked afterwards that it was so humid that they were uncomfortable to wear - although they could soon be taken off, as the rain dissipated. I wonder whether that's why the entire cast left the putting-on of their shoes until they were ready to start (more curiosities in what is a year of weird and wonderful stage productions, here):
Now, I'd heard tell that this production of the play was set in Ireland. Indeed, the blurb about it on the Globe's own website had it set during the Easter Rising. And they should know - certainly, the players were Irish, the costumes were of the time - no sign of any actual fighting, but I suppose, in this centenary year, that was their inspiration. Of course, the show started with some Irish music - a flute and a bodhrán, and for the second piece, a remix of the Cúilin.
Gotta say, I've never seen Shakespeare done in an Irish setting before, and I thought it worked a treat! Certainly, the comedy fitted nicely.. I could easily believe the characters came from Dublin, for all the talk of Padua and Mantua. And the wedding was a fine example of an Irish hooley. Why, they even threw in a cúpla focal of Irish:
- Gabh mo leithscéal (excuse me)
- Maith thú (good on ya!)
- Go raibh maith agat (thank you)
- Céad míle fáilte (100,000 welcomes).. this last in response to "go raibh maith agat" - whereas the response should have been "(tá) fáilte romhat" (you're welcome). So a bit of a play on words there.
Here endeth the lesson. Anyway, in a nice comedic touch, Hortensio's wife, despite having virtually no lines for the entire thing, keeps appearing on the sidelines, stealing the show with a "hmph!", or smoking a ciggie. Bianca is nicely played as a little bit two-faced, playing up to her father while sneering at her sister. Speaking of whom, Aoife Duffin played a blinder as the half-cracked redhead, Catherine. What a pity, that for the single character required to sing solo, she couldn't hold a note. Star of the show for a number of us, however, was Petruchio, played with a swagger by the Corkman, Edward MacLiam. (Thought I detected a slight Cork lilt, all right..)
Yep, a good show - and we had some discussion afterwards about the misogyny of Petruchio's treatment of Catherine after they are married. Despite this, we enjoyed it - and as the sun went down..
..and at the end of the play, they sang a song to the tune of The Parting Glass.
Our parting glass was had in the Swan, where we shared a table with Globe staff, and fought for service amid a scrum at the bar. Confusing menu, by the way - large glasses of wine are not advertised, and it wasn't until someone beside me ordered one that I realised they offered them. £8.50, if you're interested - just ask.
Well, I'm back to Ireland this evening for an extended stay - weekend flights at this time of year are expensive, dontcha know? Back on Wednesday of next week, and that Thursday (4th August) I'm off to Shakespeare's Avengers Assembleth: Age of Oberon, at Theatre N16. Got a cheap ticket, and frankly this was the closest of what I was looking at. Might drive - it's a quick one, quite local, and there should be parking on nearby residential streets. Then I'm off to Helen's for the weekend - she's got a big bash planned, with an Alice in Wonderland theme! (Costume currently hanging on my door, thank you..) And on Monday 8th, why, I'm back with the Man with the Hat.. we're off to see Gladiator, in an outdoor screening at the Guildhall, with a visit to the Roman amphitheatre underneath first.
